Discovering 21 new unknown cannabinoids

Canadian scientists have discovered that there are probably many more cannabinoids than previously thought. This discovery could revolutionize science and our understanding of the surrounding effect.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia wanted more clarity about the distinctive effects of cannabis strains. Therefore, researchers have worked on the following hypothesis: the distinctive effects of cannabis strains do not depend solely on their THC and CBD content - nor the ratio of these two cannabinoids - but especially because the spectrum of effects possible is much wider than is supposed (entourage effect). here are the 21 unknown cannabinoidsexposed by this discovery:

THC and CBD are less important than we think

The study " Chemometric Analysis of Cannabinoids: Chemotaxonomy and Domestication Syndrome "Was published in the journal Nature. The discovery is consistent, and will have repercussions throughout the cannabis industry. It could call into question the scientific achievements we have on the cannabis plant.

The researchers believe that the two cannabinoids considered the most important, the THC and CBD, are not so important in the wealth of a cannabis plant. For years, recreational users have been mainly interested in the presence of THC in cannabis (a well-known psychoactive ingredient ...). Since then, we have rediscovered the presence of CBD, which is just as important, in the medical field, or even more, because this cannabinoid makes it possible to rationalize the action of THC; and therefore to reduce these negative effects during therapy.

"THC and CBD are just a small part of the puzzle," say the researchers.

We know that THC and CBD play a leading role, right from the start. For several years now, the medicinal properties of the cannabis plant are receiving increasing attention. And this is not justified according to this study ... Indeed, the tests carried out demonstrated that the combined presence of THC and CBD only represents 36% of diversity and total chemical effects. The 64% remaining are attributable to other cannabinoids ...

The entourage effect at the heart of the study

Because of this knowledge, the scientists EM Mudge, SJ Murch and PN Brown argue that this past understanding of cannabis is insufficient ... It can not consider all the effects and genetics of a strain of cannabis, especially if we focus on a or two cannabinoids ... To classify a species, all cannabinoids must be taken into account.

This new research indicates that there is a "complicated relationship between the chemical components of cannabis". The researchers refer to the findings that some cannabinoids are associated with THC production. While others correlate with CBD production.

The complete interaction of all cannabinoid and terpenic compounds in the body's endocannabinoid system is known as the "surround effect". And according to this research, the wheel is incomplete ...

This is called theentourage effect, and for years experts say that the medicinal effects of cannabis do not depend on some cannabinoids ... This is the synergy between all these cannabinoids that determines the quality of cannabis plant. And, so far, 113 cannabinoids have been discovered. However, it may also be necessary to revisit this issue in the light of this new Canadian research.

21 new cannabinoids discovered

During the research, 33 different strains of cannabis were thoroughly investigated. They come from 5 legal producers who are licensed to operate in the Canadian medical cannabis market.

The graphs describe the cannabinoid contents of the 33 strains obtained, ranked from the lowest total THC totals to the highest total THC.

The first extracts come from these species, which were then examined by UV spectroscopy. This is a technique in which the presence and concentration of certain substances can be determined using ultraviolet light.

These extractions were first done to clarify that the distinctive effects of cannabis strains do not depend solely on THC and CBD. But to their surprise, scientists have also discovered 21 unidentified components that look like cannabinoids.

Unknown cannabinoids whose non-targeted metabolomic analysis has determined that they are common to all groups of strains.

More research is needed to determine if we can really include these substances among the cannabinoids. And, to understand how these unknown cannabinoids affect the effect of cannabis. The good news is that this research shows that we are only at the beginning of a journey of discovery ...